Nigerians buy fuel for N120 per litre

After some days of respite, fuel scarcity worsened in
different parts of the country on Saturday with Premium
Motor Spirit popularly known as petrol, selling as high
as N160 per litre in some places.
Reports by our correspondents from different states
indicated that many petrol stations were still not selling
fuel, while those opened sold well above the pump price
of N87 per litre.
In Oyo State on Saturday, none of the major filling
stations sold the product. The independent marketers
sold between N100 and N150 per litre. From Apata on
the Abeokuta road to Ojo in Ibadan, the state capital,
less than five filling stations operated on Saturday.
Black market operators made brisk business as they
sold PMS at N160 per litre. They were patronised as
some motorists preferred them to the long queues at
filling stations that had the product.
In Lagos, our correspondent observed that queues had
reappeared at some petrol stations, while some that
had dispensed fuel earlier in the week were shut on
Saturday.
Some stations were also observed to be selling at N100
per litre. Many people were also sighted with jerry cans
on various roads looking for petrol to buy.
In Rivers State, residents were forced to buy petrol at
between N100 and N120 per litre in most of the filling
stations that had the product. Also, while some filling
stations had remained shut for about five days, queues
had begun to build up in places like Tomison filling
station on Ada George Road and Conoil on Aba Road.
It was also learnt that the slight scarcity experienced
within Port Harcourt metropolis was as a result of a
dealers hoarding the product in anticipation of an acute
scarcity of so as to make more profit to the detriment
of buyers.
In the Benue State capital, Makurdi and other major
towns in the state there were long queues anywhere,
fuel was being sold at N87 per litre.
At other filling stations the pump price of petrol was
between N100 and N110 per litre.
In Kaduna State, there were long queues of vehicles at
various filling stations.
While some stations were selling at N120 others sold at
the regulated price of N87. Meanwhile, motorists
groaned in pain as they waited for several hours
without fuel.
At the NNPC mega filling station on Sapele road, Benin
City, Edo State a litre of petrol was sold at the rate of
N87, with fairly long queues.
The situation was different in Enugu State where the
product was sold between N100 and N150.
Our correspondent observed that there were no queues
in the Coal City. However, many petrol filling stations
were not selling.
In Ogun State it went for between N90 and N100 per
litre. From Sango Ota, Sagamu, Ilaro to Ijebu Ode,
Ewekoro and Abeokuta, similar prices were obtainable
in most filling stations.
However, major oil marketers like NNPC mega station
on Abiola Way, Abeokuta, Mobil, and Total among
others in Abeokuta, still sold at the official price of N87
per litre.
Also on Saturday, some filling stations owned by
independent oil marketers were shut.
In Kwara State especially the Ilorin metropolis there
was scarcity of petrol.
There were long queues at the few petrol stations that
were dispensing and they sold for N100 or more.